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Philippine peace talks with Muslim rebels hit impasse

The leader of the Philippines' largest Muslim rebel group yesterday blamed the government for an impasse in Malaysian-brokered peace talks and said the negotiations could collapse unless the government takes them seriously.

The comments, made by Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) Chairman Al Haj Murad, underscored a precarious turn in attempts by the government and the guerrillas to peacefully settle a bloody, decades-long Muslim insurrection in the impoverished southern Mindanao region.

"If the government insists to dilly dally and treat the peace talks as a mere counterinsurgency tool, who can blame Muslim Filipinos if they choose other means to continue their legitimate struggle for freedom and self-determination?" Murad said in a statement.

"The MILF will stand by [its] people," he said. "The government must take responsibility for this breakdown of the talks."

At the heart of the conflict is the insurgents' demand for a homeland in Mindanao where minority-Muslim Filipinos could exercise control over a wide expanse of territory and its resources.

During the latest round of talks held on Sept. 6-7 in Kuala Lumpur, rebel negotiators rejected a government offer of some Mindanao areas where Filipino Muslims could exercise a measure of control subject to future "constitutional processes," Murad said.

Rebel spokesman Eid Kabalu said such processes include the passage of a law allowing Muslim control over certain lands and compliance of any territorial agreement with the Constitution, which has been under constant threat of revision by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and other politicians.

"This is a conditional offer that no real revolutionary group worthy of its name can accept," Murad said, rejecting a government position that "everything must be tailored to fit the Philippine Constitution."

Government chief negotiator Silvestre Afable Jr said last week the rebels' demand was unconstitutional and unacceptable but the government would continue to propose options to break the impasse.

Afable appealed to Malaysia, Brunei and Libya -- which have contributed troops to an international peacekeeping contingent safeguarding a cease-fire -- to keep that force in Mindanao.

He also appealed to Washington, the EU, Japan and other countries to continue backing the talks and called for vigilance "against those who may exploit the situation to foment conflict."

Kabalu warned that unless the government makes an unacceptable offer, "the talks might head to its final destiny, which is a collapse."

The peace talks are regarded as crucial by the Philippine and US governments, which hope to limit the number of areas where smaller al-Qaeda-linked groups such as the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) and an unspecified number of Indonesian militants can operate.

The US and Australia have been deeply concerned over recent reports of terrorist training camps being run by the ASG and the Indonesians in Mindanao.
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